A bizarre situation unfolded about a month ago in Baltimore in which people were paying rent to a landlord who claimed he was helping fill the need for affordable housing, but there were serious questions about the living conditions inside, as well as who actually owned the homes.

The landlord involved in the case has since accepted a plea agreement from the city.

In early February, a sign in the window of a house on North Montford Avenue in east Baltimore said furnished rooms were for rent with utilities included. But tenants living in the house didn't get the newly remodeled space they said they were promised.

"We try to sleep upstairs. We turned the light on and the freaking ceiling comes down," said a tenant who only gave her name as Karen.

Residents were still stunned when city inspectors went there and declared the place unfit and dangerous. The I-Team's camera was rolling on Feb. 2 when tenants were forced out.

"You can't come in here," Rafferty said as city officials were trying to vacate the home. "You can't do this. I got the permit for this."

"He would do some very minor patch and paint-type repairs to the property, and then he would go find tenants and move them in," said city housing official Jason Hessler.

Rafferty had a valid permit that allows people to stay at the home, but the city said the permit was issued in error and that the place was uninhabitable.

"How in the world can you even say that?" Rafferty questioned as the Montford home was shut down.

It isn't the only property where Rafferty rented rooms. City workers boarded up seven other properties, claiming all of them were supposed to be vacant, including a house neighbors told the I-Team about on North Patterson Park Avenue. Rafferty denied having anything to do with it, but Roosevelt Sydnor said he rented a room there from Rafferty, who gave him a warning.

"The back room upstairs? That's the room he told us to avoid. He said, 'Whatever you do, don't go in that room,'" Sydnor said.

But he did anyway.

"What I saw was messed up. The roof was caving in. (There were) two totes full of water," Sydnor said.

The rundown houses weren't the only problem. State records show Rafferty is affiliated with a company that does own two of the houses, but as for some of the others, there's an interesting twist.

"Actually the owners of the properties were deceased, and we can't connect him to the properties legally in any way," Hessler said.

"What do you say about the city's allegation that you are basically going around, finding homes in which the owners are deceased, and you're basically just taking over the properties?" I-Team reporter Barry Simms asked Rafferty.

Rafferty replied, "I got them through the tax sales. All of them are tax sale properties. It happened to be, like, five or six of them were deceased, and that's what was taking a long time, too, to close on them."

He declined to show the I-Team documents backing that up.

Rafferty finds tenants outside an east Baltimore methadone clinic, on social media and by word-of-mouth, Simms reported, and he rents rooms for about $450 to $500 a month.

The city thought he was taking advantage of vulnerable people, but he disagreed.

"A lot of places won't allow them to rent," Rafferty said.

But who actually owns the home where Rafferty lives?

"The mayor and City Council of Baltimore own it," Hessler said.

"No, no, no. I own this property. I own this property, square out," Rafferty told Simms.

The city is making sure the properties it boarded up remain vacant.

Rafferty accepts plea deal from city

Rafferty had a court hearing Tuesday in which he accepted a plea agreement from the city.

The judge sentenced Rafferty to 30 days in jail then suspended 16 days. The landlord will be spending weekends in jail.

The judge called Rafferty's actions dangerous, threatening the lives, health and safety of the people who rented rooms from him.

"I didn't force anybody to live in any place. I didn't mean to hurt anybody," Rafferty said.

"I don't want jail on my worst enemy, but I think with what went on and how things went down maybe he needs to be taught a lesson. Spanked on the hand to let him know you can't treat people like that," former tenant Collette Jones said.

Rafferty accepted a deal from the city involving houses at 2107 Belair Road and 1823 North Milton Ave. in east Baltimore. The city has no records showing he owned them. In fact, the owners of both properties are dead. Rafferty pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to obtain required building permits. A charge of illegally running a rooming house was not prosecuted.

"He would come in every now and then do a little piece work to try to make it seem like he was doing something for the house, but it wasn't," former tenant Jeffrey Reese said.

Rafferty's attorney argued that his client did not set out to become a slumlord. The properties were in terrible shape when he assumed them and he wants to make them right. Rafferty wanted probation, worrying anything else could jeopardize his job as a vocational teacher for special needs children in the Prince George’s County school system.

The judge ruled Rafferty had taken advantage of each of his tenants, acting as if he was helping them, but padding his pockets.

For the next seven weekends Rafferty must serve time in jail.

"Yeah, I'm going to have to. I'll report Friday. I'll do what I have to do," Rafferty said.

Rafferty must also pay a $1,000, complete 160 hours of community service and he may have to pay restitution to some of the former tenants. Rafferty will also be on supervised probation.

A BIZARRE SITUATION UNFOLDING IN BALTIMORE. PEOPLE PAYING RENT TO A LAND RECORD CLAIMING HE IS HELPING THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. NOW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LIVING CONDITIONS IN THE HOMES AND WHO OWNS THE HOMES. BARRY SIMMS INVESTIGATES. THE SIGN IN THE WINDOW SAYS ROOMS FOR RENT, FURNISHED, OUT TILTS INCLUDED. -- UTILITIES INCLUDED. TENANTS LIVING IN THE HOUSE DIDN'T GET THE NEWLY REMODELED SPACE THEY SAY THEY WERE PROMISE. WE TRY SLEEP UPSTAIRS AND TURN THE LIGHT ON AND THE FREAKIN' CEILING COMES DOWN. RESIDENTS WERE STUNNED WHEN CITY INSPECTORS CAME BY AND DECLARED THE PLACE UNFIT AND DANGEROUS. THE I-TEAM CAMERA WAS ROLLING WHEN TENANTS WERE FORCED OUT. LIVE STRIKE FOR ONE DAY. I SCREWED UP AND I HAVE -- I'M RECOVERING ADDICT AND I PUT MYSELF HERE. ANOTHER GRAINING TENANT LIVES HER WITH HER 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. SHE CONFRONTED THE LANDLORD LARRY RAFERTY. WE GOT KIDS! THINK ABOUT IT! CITY HOUSING INSPECTORS ACCUSE RAFFERTY OF RUNNING AN ILLEGAL ROOMING HOUSE. YOU CAN'T DO THIS. WE ARE VACATING. WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GO? HE WOULD DO MINOR PATCH AND PAINT TYPE REPAIRS TO THE PROPERTY AND THEN GO FIND TENANTS AND MOVE THEM? THE PERMIT WAS ISSUED IN ERROR THE CITY SAYS AND PLACE IS UNINHABITABLE. THE HOME WAS SHUT DOWN. IT ISN'T THE ONLY PROPERTY WHERE RAFFERTY RENTED HOMES. WORKERS BOARD UP SEVEN OTHER PROPERTIES CLAIMING ALL WERE SUPPOSED TO BE VACANT INCLUDING A HOUSE NEIGHBORS TOLD THE I-TEAM ABOUT ON NORTH PATERSON PARK AVENUE. HE DENIES HAVING ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT BOROUGHS DEVELOP SAYS HE RENTED A ROOM HERE FROM RAFFERTY WHO GAVE HIM A WARNING. THE BATHROOM UPSTAIRS THAT IS THE ROOM HE TOLD US TO AVOID. HE SAID DO NOT GO IN THAT ROOM. BUT HE DID. WHAT I SAW WAS MESSED UP. THE ROOF WAS CAVING IN. TWO TOTES FULL OF WATER. BUT THE RUN DOWN HOUSES AREN'T THE ONLY PROBLEM. STATE RECORDS SHOW HE IS AFFILIATED WITH A COMPANY THAT DOES OWN TWO OF THE HOUSES. AS FOR SOME OF THE OTHERS, WELL, THERE IS AN INTERESTING TWIST. ACTUALLY, THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTIES WERE DECEASED AND WE CAN'T CONNECT HIM TO THE PROPERTIES LEGAL FLY ANYWAY. WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THE CITY'S ALLEGATION THAT YOU ARE BASICALLY GOING AROUND AND FINDING HOMES AND OWNERS ARE DECEASED AND YOU ARE KIND OF TAKING OVER THE PROPERTIES? I GOT THEM THROUGH THE TAX SALES. ALL WERE TAX SALE PROPERTIES AND IT WAS HAPPENED TO BE LIKE FIVE OR SIX OF THEM WAS DECEASED AND THAT IS WHAT WAS TAKING A LONG TIME, TOO, TO TRY TO CLOSE ON THEM. HE DECLINED TO SHOW US DOCUMENTS BACKING THAT UP. HE FINDS TENANTS OUTSIDE AN EAST BALTIMORE CLINIC ON SOCIAL MEDIA. HE RENTS ROOMS FOR ABOUT $450 TO $500 A MONTH. THE CITY THINKS HE IS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE. HE DISAGREES. A LOT OF PLACES WON'T ALLOW THEM. AND YET ANOTHER TWIST. WHO OWNS THE HOME WHERE RAFFERTY LIVES? WHO OWNS IT NOW? THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE. I OWN THIS PROPERTY. I THEN PROPERTY SQUARE OUT. SORTING OUT THE ISSUES IS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN IN CIVIL COURT. BUT FOR NOW, THE CITY IS MAKE SURE THE PROPERTY IS BOARD UP REMAINS VACANT. FOR THE 11 NEWS I-TEAM, I'M BARRY SIMMS. BARRY TELLS HE HAS A COURT HEARING TOMORROW CHARGED WITH FAILING TO GET A BUILDING PERMIT FOR ONE OF THE PROPERTIES CITY HOUSING SHUT DOWN AND WITH NOT HAVING A LICENSE TO OPERATE

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The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of Maryland that remains in effect until Tuesday evening. More details county by county

A brief period of snow started midday Tuesday and will be followed by sleet and freezing rain that continues into the evening. At 1 p.m., radar showed snow in Baltimore, but it was actually freezing rain. With the temperature at 31 degrees, icy spots are possible.

A wintry mix to include sleet and freezing rain is expected into the evening. Temperatures will then go up overnight into Wednesday, and the precipitation will change to all rain. Temperatures could reach the upper 40s Wednesday.

But late Wednesday night, cold air will move in again, and the rain will transition to snow. There's a potential for snow accumulation by Thursday morning.

Thursday's high temperature will not likely reach above freezing.

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BODY MASS INDEX AND BLOOD PRESSURE. WE ARE ALREADY GETTING INTO THE THICK OF OUR NEXT ROUND OF WINTER WEATHER. SNOW IS STARTING TO MOVE IN. WE SEE THE COMPLEXITY OF THE STORM ALSO UNFOLDING. HALF OF WASHINGTON HAS SNOW AND THE OTHER HAS. SLEET -- HAS SLEET. IT BEGINS TO LINEUP A BIT AS WE GET TO HOWARD COUNTY. FURTHER UP NORTH , AROUND HARTFORD IN CECIL COUNTY, SOME SPOTS REDUCING TO MODERATE SNOW. ALL GETTING LIKE SNOW AT THIS POINT. TO THE SOUTH OF US, NOTHING FOR ANNAPOLIS ROAD NOW, JUST CLOUDS ALONG THE EASTERN SHORE. WE ARE UNDER THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL LATER THIS EVENING AND LATER TONIGHT. HERE IS WHAT WE CAN EXPECT. LOOKS LIKE WE CAN SEE THE WINTRY MIX TODAY. SNOW IS POSSIBLE THURSDAY. SUNNY AND COLD BY FRIDAY. 30 DEGREES NOW DOWNTOWN. 32 IN PIKESVILLE. HIGHS TODAY BETWEEN 30 AND 37 DEGREES. CLOUDY, OF COURSE. A WINTRY MIX. THAT WILL LATER CHANGED TO RAIN LATER TONIGHT. BETWEEN NOW AND AT :00 P.M., THE WINTRY MIX AND THEN SLEET, RAIN, AND FREEZING SNOW -- BETWEEN NOW AND 9:00 P.M., THE WINTRY MIX AND THEN SLEET, RAIN, AND FREEZING SNOW. LATER TONIGHT, 8:00, STARTING TO GET SOME RAIN IN BALTIMORE. TEMPERATURES WARM A BIT. WE COULD SEE POTENTIAL FREEZING RAIN IN NORTHERN BALTIMORE COUNTY AND CECIL COUNTY. EVEN NORTH OF HOWARD COUNTY. 11:00 TONIGHT, TEMPERATURES WARM ENOUGH TO SUPPORT RAIN. IF THERE IS ANYTHING OUT THERE, SUCH AS THE SURFACE OF YOUR CAR STILL 32 DEGREES, YOU COULD STILL GET SEMI'S ON ANY SURFACE THAT IS STILL AT AND BELOW FREEZING. WE ARE LOOKING AT MOSTLY RAIN TOMORROW MORNING. LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT, WE WILL GET A BURST OF COLDER AIR. WHATEVER STARTED AS RAIN WILL TURN OVER TO SNOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. WE CAN SEE THAT PANNING OUT THURSDAY DURING THE DAY. NOT ANTICIPATING A LOT OF SNOW TODAY. BUT LATER IN THE WE, BY THURSDAY, WE COULD SEE A COUPLE OF INCHES AROUND HERE. I THINK TWO TO FOUR INCHES COULD BE POSSIBLE.

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The cuts will come over the next two years and will primarily be at corporate headquarters in Minneapolis, where about 13,000 people work. Target employs 366,000 people worldwide.

The changes are part of a larger restructuring, that aims to save $2 billion over two years, CEO Brian Cornell said at a meeting with investors.

Cornell was named CEO in July after his predecessor was ousted following a massive breach of Target's customer data during the 2013 holiday shopping season. Profits took a hit in early 2014, but rebounded halfway through the year.

Target most recently reported a strong holiday season, with a 3% jump in sales from the previous year.

More details about exactly how may positions will be impacted and the timing of the cuts will be announced in the coming weeks and months, a spokeswoman said.